Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside

[SK15 GZG (Moderator)]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside

(21/02/2018 19:27)RedPanda Wrote:  Wasn't it the Marshall Darts the last lot of buses to be delivered new to MTL? Following that the order made by MTL for 72 Plaxton/Alx200 Darts but delivered new to Arriva?
Then the order for the DAF220 and B10BLE made by Arriva?

Please don't call this info accurate as its based on what I've learnt in five years or so.

The Volvo B6BLEs and Volvo B10BLEs were ordered by MTL however the order was honoured by Arriva

The Dart SLFs, DAF SB120s and DAF SB220s were all ordered by Arriva. Just to correct you however there were 59 Darts and not 72 - some registration combinations were not issued so obviously the fleet numbers which would have matched those weren't issued either. That also applied to the Cadets

[buses7675 (Website Founder)]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside
As far as I know, 7675 V675DVU was the last bus actually delivered to MTL in January 2000.

[motormayhem1]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside
The B6BLEs and B10BLEs order was honoured on the grounds the interior colours could be changed to suit arriva's livery as they were originally ordered with the same interior as the B10 endurances i was told.

[RedPanda]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside

(21/02/2018 19:56)Y474 KNF Wrote:  The Volvo B6BLEs and Volvo B10BLEs were ordered by MTL however the order was honoured by Arriva

The Dart SLFs, DAF SB120s and DAF SB220s were all ordered by Arriva. Just to correct you however there were 59 Darts and not 72 - some registration combinations were not issued so obviously the fleet numbers which would have matched those weren't issued either. That also applied to the Cadets

Thinking about those Darts now 2201-2272 I knew that 2210, 2220, 2230 etc didn't exist but didn't realise more was missing making a total number of 59 of these and numbered to their respective registrations.

The DAF Cadets didn't cross my mind.

[SK15 GZG (Moderator)]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside

(21/02/2018 21:19)RedPanda Wrote:  Thinking about those Darts now 2201-2272 I knew that 2210, 2220, 2230 etc didn't exist but didn't realise more was missing making a total number of 59 of these and numbered to their respective registrations.

The DAF Cadets didn't cross my mind.

The "missing" Darts were 2205, 2206, 2210, 2220, 2222, 2225, 2230, 2240, 2245, 2250, 2255, 2260 and 2270

Cadet numbers not allocated were 2420, 2430, 2440 and 2444. I don't think there was a 2810 or 2820 either

[B10B6514]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside
10 of the Marshall Darts were impounded, before entry into service, before the takeover because of MTL's dire financial troubles to secure payment. Think they were 7663-5/7-73.
They were also bought for a knockdown £55,000 each- whether that was excellent bargaining by MTL's finance department or plain desperation from Marshall I'm not sure, considering the B10Bs were about £115k some 4 years previously.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside
Probably desperation from both as Marshall weren't in the best shape either.

[Bevan Price]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside

(21/02/2018 22:28)B10B6514 Wrote:  10 of the Marshall Darts were impounded, before entry into service, before the takeover because of MTL's dire financial troubles to secure payment. Think they were 7663-5/7-73.
They were also bought for a knockdown £55,000 each- whether that was excellent bargaining by MTL's finance department or plain desperation from Marshall I'm not sure, considering the B10Bs were about £115k some 4 years previously.

MTL's big mistake was getting involved with rail franchise operations. They might still be around if they had confined their interests to buses.

[mtl97]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside
If they had jùst got merseyrail they would of been ok, it was northern spirit that crippled them, i know this as i worked for mtl at the time, i left to work for first in april 2000

[MTL0201]

RE: Happy 18th Birthday Arriva Merseyside

(22/02/2018 22:03)mtl97 Wrote:  If they had jùst got merseyrail they would of been ok, it was northern spirit that crippled them, i know this as i worked for mtl at the time, i left to work for first in april 2000

Agreed the Northern Spirit did it for MTL, they sold there London operations a couple of years previously probably because of this, they didn't even run Merseyrail well either, remember the fiasco over the penalty fares they introduced, passengers got PFed even though the ticket office was closed & no other way of buying a ticket.